Boat stowing and launching apparatus.



E. S. GLADSTONE. BOAT STOWING AND LAUNGHING APPARATUS. APPLIGATIQN FILED MAY. 4, 1914.

1,126,444 Patented Jan. 26, 1915.

THE NORRAQ PETERS 60., PHOTO-LITHO WASHINGTON. D. l

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ERNEST STEUART GLADSTONE, 0F

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND, ASSIGN OR TO MARTIN MARINE LIFE SAVING DEVICES, LIMITED, OF TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, A

CORPORATION OF ONTARIO.

BOAT STOWING- AND LAUN CHIN G- APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 26, 1915.

Application filed May 4, 1914. Serial N 0. 836,187.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, EnNns'r STEUART GLADSTONE, of 9 Harrington street, Liven pool, in the Kingdom of England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Boat Stowing and Launching Apparatus; and I hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

In Letters Patent of the United States N 0. 1,009,758, dated 28th of November, 1911, is shown and described a track so arched that the davit crane will move from an inboard inclination at its inboard position to an outboard inclination at its outboard position, sufficient to project the fall suspension point beyond the ships side substantially the whole length of the davit crane, or as much thereof as may be necessary to swing the lifeboat clear of the vessel, this particular track being adapted for attachment directly to the deck of the ship.

To comply with the rules and regulations governing life-saving equipment, it has been necessary to construct elevated tracks for the davit cranes, these tracks being preferably supported in horizontal planes by standards bolted or otherwise fastened to the deck structure and provided with parallel bearing surfaces for the carriage and thrust rollers which maintain the davit cranes in angular relation to the track as they travel to either the inboard or outboard ends thereof. These tracks, however, owing to the parallel character of the bearing surfaces for the carriage and thrust rollers will not tilt the davit cranes into an inclined position to project beyond the ships side when at the outboard end thereof; and if davit cranes are of such inclination as to'project beyond the ships side, the length of the tracks must be materially increased to meet the conditions arising from the inclined formation of the davit cranes.

The object of my present invention therefore, is to devise a substantially straight track in which the angle of the davit crane to the trackway will vary as it travels be tween the inboard or outboard ends thereof, so that when the davit crane is at its outboard position it will assume an outboard inclination suflicient to project the fall suspension point beyond the ships side substantially the length of the davit crane,

or as much thereof as may be necessary, to

swing the lifeboat clear of the ship and to cause the davit crane when at its inboard position to assume an inboard inclination, to bring the inboard side of the davit crane approximately in line with the inboard gunwale of the lifeboat at its stowed position, and thus elfect the desired economy in the length of the track structure and the deck space'necessary therefor without detracting from the launching efficiency of the apparatus.

I In carrying out this invention, the track is provided with two bearing surfaces converging, toward the outboard end of the track, at an angle which will tilt the davit crane and cause it to assume an outboard inclination as it travels in an outboard direction, and vice versa, as hereinafter set forth and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings: Figure 1, is a fore and aft view of one of the tracks with a davit crane movable thereon; Fig. 2, is a View looking outboard of the track shown in Fig. l; and Fig. 3, is a similar view to Fig. l, of a modification of the track construc tion shown in that View.

Like characters of reference refer to like parts throughout the specification and drawings.

In Figs. 1 and 2, a and Z2 represent a trackway consisting of two track rails of ordinary cross-section. Both of these track rails are preferably straight, but the inboard end a of the upper one, a, may be slightly bent downward to reduce the height of the standard or support 0 and to cause the davit crane (Z to assume an inboard inclination from the vertical when at the inboard end of the track. The outboard end of the tracks a and b are supported by standards f which are of such height as to permit of one or several lifeboats being stacked be low the track rails. The upper track a is substantially horizontal from its outboard end to the place where the downwardly bent part a begins, and the lower track Z) is upwardly inclined toconverge at its outboard end with the upper track a, the inboard end of the track 6 being supported by the standard 0 and the outboard end by the standards f. These tracks a and 6 near their inboard ends are separated from one another slightly less than the distance be tween the carriage rollers g and thrust rollers h of the davit crane whereby these rollers are brought into such relation as to cause the davit crane to assume an upright or nearly upright position at the inner end of the straight part of the upper track a. The carriage rollers 9 travel on the upper surface of the tracks a and the thrust rollers h engage the lower surfaces of the track rails b. As the davit crane travels along the tracks a and b the convergence of the bearing surfaces of the track rails causes a change in the angular relation of the rollers g and h to each other, the thrust roller 72, assuming a more rearward position to the carriage roller 9 as the distance between the bearing surfaces decreases so that when the davit is at the outboard end of the track this change of the angular relation of the rollers is most pronounced, as shown in Fig. '1.

By means of the convergence of the bearing surfaces of the tracks a and b, the in clination of the davit crane from the vertical is changed as the davit is moved between its inboard and outboard position.

In Fig. 3, the upper t'ack a is shown to be slightly curved, but this curvature may be made more or less pronounced to meet the required conditions for which the track is constructed.

In the bearing surface of the track rails 7) are holes d which engage pins on the thrust roller h. The thrust rollers are mounted on a shaft h journaled in the davit cranes below the rail b, said shaft being provided with suitable driving mechanism whereby the rotation of the thrust rollers can be effected, such driving gear being preferably similar to that shown in the above United States patent.

What I claim is:

1. The combination with a davit crane having carriage and thrust rollers, of a trackway having two bearing surfaces converging toward its outboard end, one for the carriage rollers, and the other for the Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the thrust rollers, whereby the davit crane is caused to change its angular relation to the trackway as it moves thereon between its inboard and outboard positions, and to assume an inclined position with relation to said trackway when at the outboard end thereof to overhang the ships side.

2. The combination with a davit crane having carriage and thrust rollers, of a trackway having two bearing surfaces converging toward its outboard end, one for the carriage rollers, and the other for the thrust rollers, whereby the davit crane is caused to change its angular relation to the t'ackway as it moves thereon between its inboard and outboard positions, and to assume an inclined position with relation to said trackway when at the outboard end thereof to overhang the ships side, one of the said bearing surfaces being bent downward at its inboard end to cause the davit c 'ane to assume an inboard inclination when at the inboard end of the trackway.

3. The combination with a davit crane having carriage and thrust rollers, of a trackway comprising two track rails converging toward the outboard end thereof, the upper track'rail having a bearing surface for the carriage roller to move upon, and the lower track rail having a bearing surface for the thrust roller to work against.

4:. The combination with a davit crane having carriage and thrust rollers, of a trackway comprising two track rails converging toward the outboard end thereof, the upper track rail having a bearing surface for the carriage roller to move upon, and the lower track rail having a bearing surface for the thrust roller to work against, said lower track rail and thrust roller being provided with a rack and pinion gear for causing the movement of the davit crane.

Liverpool, April 17th, 191st.

ERNEST STEUABT GLADSTONE.

Signed in the presence of A. \V. l VILLS, H. WVILLniMs.

Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

